Somewhere in Apricale, under its terracotta roof, a village house with terrace, tub and tranquility awaits. A fairytale place to depart from and return to as we linger about Liguria, Italy…just the two of us.

Mary Tennant, September 2017

Those anticipatory words prophesied far more than we knew. 

Robert and I were flying into Nice, France with our exploratory sights set on the Nervia Valley in Liguria, Italy. We’d selected the medieval village of Apricale as our home base for forays about the Italian Riviera and hinterland simply because online holiday rental Casa degli Angeli stood out from so many others; beautiful and very well-appointed. I was already dreaming of a candlelit arrival soak in its clawfoot tub, set in the master bedroom against an ancient stone wall that whispered of former lives well-lived. Of generational bella vita.

We’d embarked like naïve and crushing teenagers on a mid-life adventure to explore the possibility of owning a home in beloved Italy. We’d booked with a local realtor. We’d armed ourselves with a note-taking journal. Each day we followed the sun-dappled coast or verdant valleys, guided by roads that drizzled the mountainsides, linking perilously-perched medieval villages with souls dating back centuries. I begged a terrified “toot-toot” at single-lane blind hairpins, reminding Robert to signal our approach to Italians careening fearlessly toward places-to-be.

We crossed off possible home-buying locations on the torn-off portion of a cheesy tourist’s map with bold, decisive X’s.

Ventimiglia

Bordighera

Ospedaletti

San Remo

The coast

The villages had captured our imaginations and promised enough square meters within budget to generously accommodate family and friends.

Perinaldo

Castel Vittorio

Pigna

Rochetta Nervina

Isolabona

Dolceacqua

Apricale

Apricale. From Apricus. Meaning exposed to the sun. And that other tantalizing village house I’d unknowingly prophesied. South-facing, easy-to-access, near piazza and parking, with a cellar, chapel and attic that teased possibilities. A specific address. Awaiting complete restoration.

Find Casa degli Angeli at http://www.apricuslocanda.com.